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We’re back for a brand-new season of Shoot the Hostage, and Dan has officially established a theme that Sarah finds entirely hypocritical: “Size Doesn’t Matter.” To kick things off, we’re looking at a cinema entry where scale is quite literally the only thing that matters, Ant-Man (2015).

This episode marks our first full-length dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically during the era before the quality dropped off a cliff. We spend a fair amount of time sifting through the wreckage of Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man, debating whether his standalone vision would have been superior to the more by the numbers heist-lite movie we ended up with. We also attempt to make sense of the shrinking technology, though we eventually conclude that the quantum realm is mostly just the place Marvel writers smash two words together to make it sound real.  

What to expect from this episode:

• A breakdown of why Dan’s “Size Doesn’t Matter” theme is fundamentally ironic given the film choices.
• The reason why Thomas the Tank Engine was legally required to keep smiling while crushing a police car.
• A mourning period for the Edgar Wright Ant-Man we’ll never get to see.
• Misplaced optimism over the possibility of quantum immortality eventually propelling us into the reality where Edgar Wright did direct Ant-Man.
• The scientific realisation that “Quantum” is just a prefix Marvel uses to make magic sound like physics.
• Appreciation for the innate charisma of Paul Rudd.
• Recognition for a suit well-tailored.
• The reason why Michael Douglas’s wig in Endgame was for more distracting than any de-aging effects.

This season has eight episodes, concluding September 21st

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 16? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We managed to find time to wander aimlessly through the fluorescent lit yellow wallpapered nightmare of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms.

Join Dan and a moderately functional Sarah as she recounts the joy of following a horror movie with a 3am trip to a real-life liminal hospital corridor for a CT scan.

In this episode we dive into:

• The rise of Kane Parsons and how a 20-year-old turned a creepy pasta inspired YouTube series into a feature film.
• Why 75% of the budget was seemingly spent on suspended ceilings and why that works.
• The unusual vibes of the film.
• How Dan managed to connect with this one while filling his disenfranchised man quota.
• Why movies like Obsession and Backrooms are dominating the box-office now.

We shall return!

On August 3rd we're back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Dan. The new theme is "Size Doesn't Matter" and the first film we're sizing up is Ant-Man (2015).

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 16? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

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Welcome to this bonus episode of Shoot the Hostage, where we are lingering in the hallways of our favourite moments from our Liminal Spaces season. If you’ve ever felt like you’re trapped in a dreamlike transitory space between a swimming pool and a never-ending warehouse, you’ve come to the right place for some Liminal Space cinema chat. We’re crossing over from the uncanny to the absurd as we revisit the movies that made Dan question Sarah’s sanity and his own grasp on geometry.

In this best of compilation, we dive back into the eerie, sparsely populated worlds of some of the best movies with liminal spaces. We revisit Christopher Smith’s time-loop feature Triangle, where Dan finally learns how many points a triangle has. We also tackle the art-house vibes of 70s cult horror like Messiah of Evil, which Dan argues isn’t a movie but rather a collection of images that would be vastly improved by a guest appearance from Mr Blobby.

The journey continues with Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, featuring a magic rock that may or may not be solar powered for your 1900s toaster. We also get a pinch of Lynch with Jamie from Final Transmission as we attempt to decode David Lynch’s Lost Highway and the rising star power of Balthazar Getty. From the slow march to death in David Robert Mitchell’s, It Follows to the aggressive hospitality of Wake in Fright, we’ve curated a lineup that is definitely more vibes that linear narrative.

We also touch on Alex Garland’s Annihilation, the dessert of the season and John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, featuring the legendary Dondald Pleasence and a very large, very secure wooden door. Whether you’re a fan of liminal space horror or just here for the film criticism and humour, this episode has it all – including a discussion on whether a crab is technically a “floor fish”

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan tries to convince Sarah to pivot the season into movies featuring basic geometric shapes.
• A definitive (and possible incorrect) explanation of what actually constitutes a liminal space.
• The revelation that the Messiah of Evil might have been a piny, yellow spotted ghoulish figure from 90s British TV.
• The logistics of plugging a laptop into a 6 million year old magic rock in the year 1900
• Dan’s theory that the size of the church key is directly proportional to how much evil you’re hiding in the basement.
• A debate about some of the Brian Johnsons and whether they hold the key to ancestral immortality.
• A sneak peek at our upcoming season where we finally prove once and for all that size doesn’t matter.

We shall return!

On August 3rd we're back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Dan. The new theme is "Size Doesn't Matter" and the first film we're sizing up is Ant-Man (2015).

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 16? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

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Do you feel like you are in a transitory place where things are familiar but not quite right? Is your sense of reality feeling a little unstable? Don’t worry, you haven’t wandered into the Backrooms, you’ve just reached the threshold of the Shoot the Hostage Season 15 wrap show. Come out from under those flickering fluorescent lights, put the kettle on and we’ll help you escape the void. That’s right Hostages, we’re back for one last discussion about liminal space movies.

In this episode, we lean into the eternal struggle of art vs entertainment: Dan argues for Michael Bay-style bad guy clarity, while Sarah ties to justify why we spent eight weeks in a shroud of mystery. We’re also fully transparent about the behind the scenes chaos, including an update on Sarah’s health and Patreon pauses.

What to expect from the episode:

• A complete recap of our liminal space journey, from Triangle to the “anti-god” liquid in Prince of Darkness.
• Sarah justifies her choices and why she chose to trap everyone in the void for eight weeks.
• We discuss the vibes and merits of Messiah of Evil, although one of us maintains, it’s still not a movie.
• Dan admits he actually enjoyed an unhinged 1970s Australian movie even if nobody’s head exploded.
• A look back at our favourite conversations, including why we spent thirty minutes talking about Dwayne the Rock Johnson during a Peter Weir discussion.
• Dan puts Sarah through a ringer with an eight-question quiz.

If you would like to listen to the full episode, head over to Patreon to get access to this and all of our previous wrap shows from seasons 1-14.

We shall return!

On August 3rd we're back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Dan. The new theme is "Size Doesn't Matter and the first film we're sizing up is Ant-Man (2015).

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 16? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Join us one last time in Liminal Spaces as we peer into the green swirling abyss for another visit to John Carpenter town. It’s time to talk about Prince of Darkness (1987), a film that proves that when it comes to 80s horror, nobody does it like the master of horror himself.

In this episode, we dive into cosmic horror, subatomic evil and the ultimate showdown between religion vs science. We discuss the legendary Donald Pleasence (playing a very different role than his alcoholic turn in Wake in Fright), the return of the incomparable Victor Wong and why Dennis Dun is the essential comic relief we all need when the world is ending. We explore how Carpenter utilised a modest $3 million budget to create some of the most memorable images in late 80s cinema including that gateway mirror scene.

Expect plenty of our usual tangents, including a deep dive into the big key theory – because we’re convinced that the church was taking security advice from the set of 90s Gladiators. We also talk about John Carpenter movies in general, his apocalypse trilogy, and why Alice Cooper should never be allowed near a bicycle.

What to expect in this episode:

• We debate if an abandoned church teeming with students can truly be considered a liminal space.
• Dan explains how the size of a key us directly proportionate to the security of a gladiator’s sleeping quarters.
• A look at the iconic reunion of Big Trouble in Little China stars Victor Wong and Dennis Dun.
• Why John Carpenter chose to hide behind a pseudonym for one of his best written scripts.
• Sarah traces her obsession with religious horror back to a childhood cartoon about hoarding dragons.
• The low-budget ingenious solutions to the practical effects needed to tell this story.
• A heated discussion on the ethics of a professor using his students as disposable demon bait.
• We argue over whether the score is a pulsating masterpiece or just a Danny Elfman knockoff.
• The existential dread of wondering if your colleagues are actually10,000 bugs in a trench coat.
• A first look at our upcoming season and why Paul Rudd is the perfect palate cleanser for the apocalypse.

We'll be back on August 3rd for Season 16

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We’re entering the Shimmer for the penultimate episode of the season! Or as Dan insists on calling it, (much to Sarah’s annoyance) the “penny”. Join us as we discuss Alex Garland’s 2018 sci-fi weirdness, Annihilation.

As the 7th entry in our Liminal Spaces season, Sarah explains why this dreamlike and ethereal landscape is the ultimate subversion of the genre, moving away from empty car parks and into a hauntingly beautiful, mutating wilderness. We dive deep into why this stands as one of the most essential contemporary sci-fi movies, blending high-concept cinema with skin-crawling body horror.

Sarah dons her “feminist wig”, (a hat so big it would make David Lynch proud) to discuss how Garland crafts some of the most complex, non-sexualised roles for women in modern film. We analyse the powerhouse cast, including Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez and debate why Garland’s writing is what other directors only pretend to achieve.

From the horror of the screaming skull bear to the philosophical questions of human nature, we explore how this book adaptation deviates from Jeff VanderMeer’s novel to focus on the terrifyingly relatable theme of self-destruction. It’s a weird movie that demands your full attention, so put down your second screen and get ready for a refraction of our usual hopeless pedantry.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan explains his logic behind calling this the “penny” episode just to wind Sarah up.
• Discussions around our favourite Alex Garland films including one we covered (Ex Machina)
• We explore why Alex Garland is one of Sarah’s favourite filmmakers for writing meaty, complex roles for women.
• A look at the “inverse Nolan” trope and how Oscar Isaac serves as the story’s catalyst.
• We break down the ethereal visuals of the Hox gene and those haunting human-plant hybrids.
• A retrospective on the bear sequence and why it’s a masterclass in cosmic horror.
• We discuss the self-destructive motivations of every member of the expedition.
• Parallels between the plot and the real-life story of Henrietta Lacks.
• We debate the dreamlike ending and whether assimilation is the same thing as annihilation.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Don’t Wake in Fright because you’ve got a massive hangover; wake up and join us in The Yabba for a cold midi! This week on Shoot the Hostage, we are continuing Sarah’s Liminal Spaces season with a journey into the sun-drenched beer-soaked nightmare of Australian cinema: Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 film, Wake in Fright.

In our 6th episode of the season, we follow Gary Bond as John Grant, a bonded schoolteacher who finds himself trapped in a nightmarish cycle of substance abuse and aggressive hospitality in the outback town of Bundanyabba. If you’re looking for weird movies where the heat is as sticky as the floors in the local pub, this one might be for you. We explore how a simple overnight stop transforms into a personal purgatory of horror and nihilism, featuring a terrifying performance from Donald Pleasence and the final screen appearance of the legendary Chips Rafferty.

The cinema of Australian new wave doesn’t get much more brutal than this, as we tackle the sausage fest of toxic masculinity and the infamous, real-life kangaroo hunting footage. It’s a bond you can’t escape and a reminder that sometimes the most terrifying thing in the outback is a bloke who just wants one more skooner.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan kicks things off with a pop quiz about the decimal currency system and espresso machines.
• We discuss why Wake in Fright is arguably the most Australian movie ever made, despite the director being Canadian.
• A look at director Ted Kotcheff’s career, from First Blood to the philosophy of Weekend at Bernie’s.
• We explore the liminal space of Bundanyabba and why it feels like a dusty, inescapable purgatory.
• The mystery of the aggressive hospitality and why Dan is suspicious to any cars that give way to pedestrians when it conflicts with the highway code.
• We tackle the elephant in the room: the brutal and controversial kangaroo hunting scene.
• We break down the repressed feelings and the Socrates of the Outback vibes of Doc Tydon.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

It Follows that we should probably talk about this movie before Dan stages a coup. We’re five episodes deep into our Liminal Spaces season, and Sarah has chosen David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows (2014).

While Sarah has watched this enough times to be legally haunted, Dan is still convinced that a Detroit setting should automatically involve more OCP interference or at least a robot that can’t climb stairs.

From the weird dreamlike vibes of the anachronistic production design to Disasterpeace’s unforgettable synth score, we’re asking the big questions: Is it about ghost crabs or just the inevitable, slow-walking march towards death? We also explore the cinema of the suburbs where Maika Monroe is often floating on water and Keir Gilchrest is always holding a beer.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan explains why his knowledge of Detroit begins and ends with Robocop and car manufacturing.
• Sarah breaks down why David Robert Mitchell used 360 degree pans to create a sense of hyper-alert horror.
• We debate if Maika Monroe’s character qualifies as a final girl.
• Chats around the anachronisms, including that legendary (and non-existent) electronic clam-shell phone.
• We discuss the real-life body found during location scouting that changed the productions plan.
• We ponder the potential sequel and whether it will go in a full Aliens style James Cameron direction.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We hope you don’t get lost on the highway to this episode because we’re taking a detour into the obtuse, dreamlike world of 90s cinema with David Lynch’s 1997 head-scratcher, Lost Highway.

As the fourth entry in our Liminal Spaces season, we’re trying to figure out if we’re on a road to nowhere or just stuck in a psychogenic fugue state. To help us navigate this noir nightmare. We’ve bought back Jamie from the Final Transmission podcast! You might remember Jamie from his debut in our Season 4 episode about The Blair Witch Project, and he’s returned to help us solve a movie that even the director refuses to explain.

We tackle the ethereal dualities of Patricia Arquette, wonder why Bill Pullman is so committed to strobe jazz sax solos, and witness the final, heartbreaking performance of Richard Pryor. We also dive into the horror of the Mystery Man played by Robert Blake, discuss the 90s movies trend of circular plagiarism, and finally address why Balthazar Getty has been a rising star since the Filofax era. Plus, Dan reveals his theory that the script was written by Barry Gibb and we explore the cinema of industrial soundtracks featuring Rammstein, Marilyn Manson and David Bowie.

What to expect from the episode:

• We debate whether Fred Madison is the alpha or just a gut with a very overactive imagination.
• Jamie explains why this is his favourite Lynch film while Dan struggles to find any evidence of someone being kicked from the head or jumping onto a helicopter.
• We explore the theory that the entire movie was subconsciously inspired by the O.J. Simpson trial.
• Discussion around David Lynch’s big hat and megaphone approach to on-set social distancing.
• We investigate the vampiric makeup choices and the quintessentially noir lighting of Peter Deming.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We’re climbing back into the void for the third instalment of our Liminal Space season. After the chaotic vibes of last week, Sarah has led us into the hazy sun-drenched mystery of Peter Weir’s 1975 masterpiece, Picnic at Hanging Rock.

It’s a film that defines Australian cinema and remains one of the most haunting pop-culture touchstones of the 1970s, even if Dan is convinced the titular landmark is a self-powered, solar-propelled magic rock with a hidden toaster outlet for your crumpets.

We anchor ourselves into the cinema of Victorian repression, exploring how a group of schoolgirls from Appleyard College vanished on Valentine’s Day in 1900. Is the rock simply a geological wonder, or is it an ancient, cosmic horror entity capable of folding time and space?

We discuss the ethereal atmosphere created by Weir and the legendary “great wig drama” involving a formidable Rachel Roberts. From Jackie Weaver’s flat cap adventure to the mystery of the 1900 era thin bananas, we’re leaving no stone unturned.

What to expect from this episode:

• Sarah explains why this is the quintessential entry for our liminal space movies season.
• Dan reveals his theory about the rock being a self-powered solar panel for picnickers.
• A look at the tyrannical performance of Rachel Roberts and her refusal to look at her co-stars.
• We discuss the ethereal cinematography and framing.
• The mystery of the thin bananas and a tangent about why fruit was better in the good old days.
• Why an American distributor was so angry about the ending, he threw coffee at his TV.
• A breakdown of some of the deleted scenes from the theatrical cut and the motive behind Peter Weir’s directors cut.
• The secret clock-stopping powers of the book’s eccentric author.
• How a teenager almost made the movie before Patricia Lovell stepped in.
• Dan tries to reconcile if this is a Lovecraftian horror or just a very long afternoon without enough snacks.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome back to the second stop on Sarah’s tour of liminal space movies, and this week we’re descending into the 1973 cult cinema classic, Messiah of Evil. It’s the film that sparked this entire season, and while it might have sat on a shelf for years, it’s currently having a bit of a second coming on the pod.

We’re breaking down the dreamlike logic of Point Dune (formerly new Bethlehem) and exploring why this film feels so much like David Lynch’s style, even though it was hitting screens before Eraserhead was a glimmer in Lynch’s eye. We discuss directors Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck ambitious artistic vision and how editor Scott Conrad (of Rocky fame) managed to piece together such an atmospheric experience from a production that literally ran out of money.

Beyond the hanging beds and important Mr Blobby tangents, we wade through the claret to get to the iconic supermarket scene to discuss the consumerist ghoul angle. Dan finds a rare moment of connection between the film’s hand-painted murals and his own Dad’s late-night black-tape art projects, while Sarah defends the Dick Smith neon-lurid blood recipe as peak 70s cinema aesthetic.

What to expect in this episode:

• A breakdown of why Walter Hill’s throat-slitting open features the loudest shoe foley in the history of cinema.
• Sarah explains why the weird movies energy of Messiah of Evil was the specific catalyst for this entire season of liminal space movies.
• Dan reveals why he’d rather be watching Noel’s House Party.
• Discussion around the true liminal space horror of derelict theme parks and Mr Blobby World.
• The obvious but necessary comparisons to David Lynch.
• We explore the logistical genius of the hanging bed and why it’s the ultimate space-saver unless you live in the Sistine Chapel.
• Sarah geeks out over the peak 70s era production design, including the Michael Greer white suit and those polyamorous drifter arrangements.
• We suggest which scenes would have been improved with swapping characters out for clones of Noel Edmunds in a Mr Blobby costume.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Don’t be a square, it’s time to get an acute perspective on our latest pick as we sail into a brand-new season! Dan is convinced we’re kicking off a “season of shapes” having already prepared notes for The Circle, Hex the Hexagon and the Secret Life of Rectangles but Sarah is here to steer the ship back towards her actual theme: Liminal Space Movies. And we’re launching with Christopher Smith’s Triangle (2009).

This mind-bending entry into the world of time loops takes us far beyond the Bermuda Triangle and into a dreamlike, transitionary world where the rules of reality are flexible. We delve into Melissa George’s performance as Jess, a mother whose spontaneous trip on a yacht becomes a punishing exploration of identity. Joining her is Michael Dorman, whose character might be a “nice guy”, we’re not quite sure, and a young Liam Hemsworth who is very confident about his Greek mythology pronunciations.

From the Overlook Boatel vibes of the ocean liner Aeolus to the meticulously crafted script that rewards repeat viewings, we’re trying to get to the hull of what makes this cult movie so special. Just don’t ask us to explain the mechanics of the time-loop just yet. Give us another ten thousand years!

What to expect from this episode:

• Sarah attempts to define liminal spaces while Dan wonders if his Tiktok feed of endless swimming pools is actually a cry for help.
• We discuss whether Christopher Smith reached his magnum opus early with this low-budget indie horror masterclass.
• A deep dive into Melissa George’s incredible ability to maintain emotional continuity.
• We break down the Sisyphus connections and why pushing a rock up a hill is basically just a 90s retail job.
• Sarah geeks out about the VFX and that incredible “through the mirror” camera trick.
• A look at how the UK’s National Lottery helped fund this $12 million time loop nightmare with a big foam finger.
• We explore the purgatory theory and why you should never, ever make a promise to a cab driver in a black suit.
• Our seemingly traditional mention of Chris Barrie.

This season has eight episodes, concluding July 6th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Apologies in advance if this one stings a little. Yes, it’s a bee pun. What else! While we’re currently between seasons, we’re keeping the hive alive by raiding the Patreon archive to bring you this bonus discussion. Today we’re talking about another entry in the Statham vocation cinematic universe, The Beekeeper (2024).

In this outing, directed by David Ayer, Statham plays a man who literalises his hobby, proving he’s the Buffy the Vampire Slayer of honey production. We explore why Josh Hutcherson is playing a crypto bro villain, how Jeremy Irons ended up as a fixer, and why Minnie Driver is only on screen for minutes. It’s a film for cinemagoers who want John Wick vibes but with more Sergio Tacchini tennis grear.

What to expect from this episode:

• We discuss why Jason Statham won our 2023 king of turds award.
• Sarah tries to make sense of the shadowy government syndicate lore that claims there is only ever one active Beekeeper.
• Dan pitches a gritty spin off titled “The Toilet Keeper”.
• We marvel at the scripts ability to mention the word Beekeeper roughly five thousand times.
• We look at Josh Hutcherson’s progression from painting himself into a tree to villainous tech bro.
• Sarah wonders why Iko Uwais isn’t being cast in these roles and what we must do to make that happen.

We shall return!

On May 18th we're back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Sarah. The new theme is Liminal Spaces and the first film we're wrapping our heads around is Triangle (2009). 

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

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Come in and make yourself at home. Feel free to lie down on the couch and tell us about your mother. If not, why not check in for one last session in our season of films exploring identity. Before we move on to Liminal Spaces in season fifteen, it’s time to revisit some of our favourite chats from the last eight episodes.

We dived into the cinematic identity of everyone from Gotham’s elite to ballet dancers losing their grip on reality. We praised the chameleonic genius of Gary Oldman and questioned Liam Neeson’s facial hair. And we explored how personal character is forged through external events involving a taxi driven by a robot Robert Picardo.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan explains why he curated a season dedicated to the theme of identity in cinema.
• We remember the year the Crazy Frog infected our culture while Batman began.
• We debate whether Liam Neeson suits the 90s street magician look.
• Discussion around Gary Oldman’s career and his transition from True Romance to Slow Horses.
• A look at why Darren Aronofsky spent a decade trying to turn a werewolf movie into a swan story.
• Sarah confesses her love for controversial fiction.
• We revisit the grotesque experience of watching Dennis Quaid devour shrimp in The Substance.
• Dan reiterates his one and only rule: Jared Leto is only allowed in movies if he’s playing Jeffrey Tambor.
• We discover a little-known, deep-cut indie flick called Total Recall and its sweaty puppet Kuato.

We shall return!

On May 18th we're back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Sarah. The new theme is Liminal Spaces and the first film we're wrapping our heads around is Triangle (2009). 

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

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We’ve reached the end of our season on identity in cinema, and frankly, we’re more confused than when we started. But none the less, it’s time for our end of season wrap show preview. 

In this “Total Recap”, a name we’re definitely not trying to brand, we swear, we dive into everything from Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins to the horrors of The Substance. We’re dissecting the psychological themes in movies debating nature vs. nurture and asking the hard questions: like why Brian De Palma taped two lenses together for Dressed to Kill and what happens when Lenny Henry kicks off a white face cinematic universe.

What to expect from this episode:

• We recap the entire eight movie lineup, starting with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.
• Discussion around movies that almost made the cut and the risk of making the season 25% Ethan Hawke.
• The mystery of Lenny Henry’s True Identity is explored as the “proto–White Chicks”
• The pitfalls of painting your own porn.
• Sarah tests Dan’s knowledge with a quiz and debate the utility of bats in the Dark Knight trilogy.
• A look ahead to season 15 which begins May 18th where we’ll be exploring Liminal Spaces, starting with the film Triangle (2009).

If you would like to listen to the full episode, head over to Patreon to get access to this and all of our previous wrap shows from seasons 1-13.

We shall return!

On May 18th we're back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Sarah. The new theme is Liminal Spaces and the first film we're wrapping our heads around is Triangle (2009). 

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 15? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

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Open your mind and join us for one last ride in our Identity season as we discover Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall (1990).

We dive into the cinema of Arnold Schwarzenegger, debating if he makes a good secret agent of if he’s too conspicuous for anything other than a bodybuilding competition. Along the way, we pay tribute to the legendary Sharon Stone, the terrifying Michael Ironside, and our ultimate cinematic protector, Dean Norris, who proves he’s a daddy even when he doesn’t have a badge.

We explore the corporate satire and brutalist architecture of Mars, while mourning the days when 90s action movies had enough in the squib budget to paint a whole metro station in claret. We tackle the heavy character identities at play, from Ronny Cox’s corporate greed to the dual roles that leave us wondering if you are defined by what you remember, or as Kuato says, “you are what you do”.

What to expect from this episode:

• Discovering this hidden gem that hasn’t been covered by any other podcasts.
• A recap on the production of Total Recall including the early involvement of Ronald Shusett who acquired the rights from Philip K. Dick.
• How character identities are forged by memory and why Arnold Scharzenegger is a terrible choice for a spy.
• We examine the brutalist architecture and corporate satire that define the film’s unique aesthetic.
• Paying homage to the practical effects genius Rob Bottin.
• We discuss why Priscilla Allen’s performance as the “Fat Lady” is the glue holding together one of the best scenes in the movie.
• Dan makes a case for why Dean Norris is the ultimate protector of people.
• Debate around the “real vs dream” ending and whether that fade-to-white is a definitive lobotomy or a happy ending.
• We bid farewell to the Identity season and announce our first movie for the new season starting May 18th.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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Welcome to the seventh stop on our tour of Identity movies, where we’re discussing the bone-white brilliance of Mary Harron’s American Psycho (2000).

In this episode, we get into why this is one of the most misunderstood movies in cinema history. While certain corners of the manosphere, incels and the red pill community treat Patrick Bateman like a looksmaxxing icon, we’re here to remind the dweebs that they’re the butt of the joke. It’s consumerist satire so brazen that it literally starts with blood-red raspberry sauce, yet people still manage to miss the point.

We explore the essential feminist touch that director Mary Harron and writer Guinevere Turner brought to the production, turning Bret Easton Ellis’s controversial source material into a sharp psychological horror comedy.

We also discuss how Christian Bale delivered a performance for the ages, partly by channelling the unhinged energy of Nicolas Cage in Vampire’s Kiss (a film we’ve previously covered).

Expect the usual Shoot the Hostage nonsense as we dog pile Jared Leto once again, try to understand why Justin Theroux’s dancing lives rent free in Dan’s middle-aged memory, and debate whether the potential Luca Guadagnino remake is a masterpiece in waiting or a meaningless and pointless exercise.

What to expect from this episode:

• Broken promises around Jared Leto movies no longer appearing in our lineups.
• The “magic E” theory that separates a hero like Batman and a villain like Bateman.
• A deep dive into collective identity and why all these yuppies are just one amorphous blob.
• How Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner’s feminine insight saved this movie from being a total misfire.
• The hilarious “business card war” and why we’re all anxious about the “subtle off-white coloring and tasteless thickness” of a rectangle.
• The connection between Christian Bale in American Psycho and a 1992 Tom Cruise interview.
• Why Phil Collins provides the ultimate masculine soundtrack.
• The great debate: Did Patrick Bateman actually kill anyone, or is it all just drawn fantasy?
• Our collective reluctance to the remake of American Psycho.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 20th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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It’s time to swan-dive into the sixth episode of our Identity season. This week, Dan has chosen to subject us to the dark, grainy and deeply uncomfortable world of Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychodrama, Black Swan. After surviving Requiem for a Dream during our season of films about drugs, we’re back for a second helping of Aronofsky-flavoured self-destruction.

We’re talking Natalie Portman in possibly, her career-best role as Nina, a ballerina on a quest for artistic perfection that makes the guy from Whiplash look like a hobbyist. We’ve got Mila Kunis as the seductive Lily, Vincent Cassel playing his creepy Frenchman archetype, Barbara Hershey putting the mother in smother and Winona Ryder who thought she was signing up for a Face/Off sequel.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan explains why he chose a ballet movie for a season about identity despite usually only watching films about disenfranchised men.
• A deep dive into why Darren Aronofsky is the undisputed king of making his protagonists suffer for their art.
• Making connections with Aronofsky’s filmography between self-destruction, loss of innocence and duality.
• Sarah shares her genuine physical trauma regarding the nail-clipping scene.
• We discuss the keratin connection between fingernails and feathers that makes the body horror so much worse.
• Why The Wrestler is the perfect companion piece to Black Swan.
• We explore the fan theory that Nina’s mother is actually a predator, not just an overbearing show mum.
• A look at the colour theory and what they represent for the protagonist.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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We’ve hit the midpoint of our Identity season, which Dan has effectively turned into a curated gallery of “disenfranchised men,” and our latest target is the A24 cringe comedy masterclass, Friendship (2024.)

We explore the desperate lengths someone will go to for a bit of validation and the uncomfortable gap between who we are and the character identities we perform for others. Introducing Craig Waterman, a colour-blind passive man who only wears Ocean View Dining trousers but comes alive when he meets Austin, played by Paul Rudd.

What to expect from the episode:

• We explore why A24 continues to corner the market on gdang weird cinema.
• Sarah explains why the first ten minutes felt more like a horror movie than a comedy.
• Dan defends his specific niche for film choices featuring disenfranchised men.
• We analyse Paul Rudd’s Austin and decide if he’s a cool adventurer or if he’s ticking off a midlife crisis checklist.
• Unpacking why the speed bump is the funniest recurring motif in the history of cinema.
• A serious inquiry into whether licking a toad is a viable alternative to therapy for insecure people.
• We discuss the “Jimp” incident and why it proves that comedic delivery is the only thing standing between a comedy and a psychological horror movie.
• Debating the character identities of the leads and specifically whether we’re watching a narcissist in the wild or a study in neurodivergent masking.
• Stay curious Craig.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Inject this into your ears and pray that a better version of yourself doesn’t pop out of your spine. We’ve reached the fourth episode in Dan’s Identity season where we’re discussing Coralie Fargeat’s the Substance (2024).

This isn’t one of those slow French movies where characters meditate on a fireplace for three hours, it’s an $18 million bloodbath that treats Hollywood beauty standards like a personal insult. Demi Moore delivers a career defining turn as Elizabeth Sparkle, while Margaret Qualley provides the ultimate “parasitic” companion for anyone struggling with character identities.

Between Dennis Quaid behaving like a pig with a plate of prawns and a third act that left our jaws on the flaw, this film proves why body horror is best served with a side of satire and some very expensive tile work.

What to expect from this episode:

• We reveal why we watched the trailer 28 times and still weren’t prepared.
• Sarah explains her cynical view on why children are basically parasites.
• Explanation for why babies aren’t born with names.
• Attempts to pronounce Coralie Fargeat’s name at least four different ways.
• Discussion around Hollywood beauty standards.
• We decide whether this film is style over substance or a masterpiece of the crunchy and wet variety.
• Chat about why Dennis Quaid’s eating habits are the real horror of the movie.
• Explaining why Dennis Quaid’s tobacco-stained teeth are the real horror of the movie.
• Pondering why Dennis Quaid’s character name is the real horror of the movie.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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Welcome back to Shoot the Hostage! We are three episodes deep into Dan’s Identity season, and things are getting… well, icky. This week, we’re tackling Brian De Palma’s 1980 classic/controversy magnet, Dressed to Kill.

Retroactively functioning as a best of De Palma, this film features many of the hallmarks you would expect from the director – voyeurism, shower scenes, and enough split diopter shots to make you feel like your eyeballs are watching separate movies.

Join us as we unpack this 80s slasher-adjacent thriller. We discuss why Nancy Allen deserved better than a Razzy nomination, and how Angie Dickinson proves that being nearly 50 is the new 21. We also dive into the character identities and why the twist is about as subtle as a brick to the face. Plus, we explore why watching movies on Tubi means being interrupted by Danica Patrick trying to sell us car insurance.

What to expect from this episode:

• Why Brian De Palma is basically a giant pervert with a very expensive camera.
• Dan’s “bonfire of opinions” regarding the 10-minute dialogue-free art gallery scene.
• A breakdown of why a binary calculator that only holds 20 numbers is the worst invention ever.
• Sarah’s internal struggle between Michael Caine being a “Tory” and being a “Great.”
• A dive into 80s slasher tropes and why this is basically Psycho with more pubic hair.
• The mystery of whose leg is on the movie poster.
• A completely unsolicited but necessary tangent about Andrew MacCarthy and the movie Mannequin.
• Our attempts to sensitively navigate this films “Wild West” approach to transgender representation.
• Why Nancy Allen kicking a bloke in the balls is the peak of her filmography.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome back to our Identity season, where Dan continues to force his personal favourites onto the show. This week, we’re here to discuss Andrew Niccol’s 1997 directorial debut, Gattaca (1997).

We dive in to see if this 90s sci-fi classic still holds up or if it’s just a sterile nightmare of brutalist architecture and electric cars. We’re examining the character identities in a world where your career path is determined by a vial of pee strapped to your leg and where the “trash man” himself, Danny DeVito, is lurking in the producer credits.

If you’re looking for movies about genetic engineering that feature 12-fingered pianists and a suspicious lack of clutter, this is the episode for you. We discuss the iconic cast, featuring Ethan Hawke as a “God birth” infiltrating the elite, Uma Thurman being generally flawless and a “smug-faced” Jude Law who is legally perfect but shattered emotionally.

We also unpack the heavy themes of capitalism and how these films about gene manipulation often predict a terrifyingly white future.

What to expect from this episode:

• Fond recollection of 1997 VHS rentals and the surprising emergence of the “slightly smaller” video cases
• Sarah questions the logistics of the “Clark Kent principle” and how a pair of glasses can fool a high-tech society
• Unpacking the meanings behind character names
• Discussion around the retro futuristic production design and why every cop is wearing a big hat
• Theories on how the swimming sequences fit into the wider narrative
• Exploration of the heavy themes of capitalism and how the world of Gattaca is built for profit rather than people
• Dan reveals the secret Cronenbergian deleted scene involving snooker cues for arms

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Holy identity crisis Batman! It’s time to tumble into a brand-new season of Shoot the Hostage. This time, the theme is Identity and we’re kicking off with Christopher Nolan’s “grounded” take on the superhero genre, Batman Begins (2005).

While Nolan was busy trying to convince the world that a billionaire in a rubber suit is grounded, we’re here to ask the tough questions like why Christian Bale sounds like he’s gargling gravel and how Liam Neeson ended up looking like a 90s street magician with a Fu Manchu complex.

We’ll be navigating the cinema of the mid-2000s, discussing whether Gary Oldman is just a collection of various chameleons in a trench coat and why Cillian Murphy seems to be the only person who realised he was actually in a comic book movie. We also look at the character identities of altruistic billionaires and wonder if Michael Caine is just playing everyone’s favourite Tory father figure.

In this episode, you can expect:

• Dan’s reasons for choosing the theme of “Identity”
• We discuss the Darren Aronofsky Batman film that probably would have had Martha Wayne shooting up in crime alley.
• The croissant-based origins of the Batmobile.
• We revisit the dark days of 2005 when the Crazy Frog was the pinnacle of cultural achievement.
• Debate regarding the physics of a water vaporiser that somehow ignores the fact that humans are made of mostly water.
• We discuss why Christopher Nolan films are best enjoyed at 3pm on a Sunday with very specific speakers.
• The sliding doors moment in this movie with Joe Chill in the courthouse.

This season has eight episodes, concluding April 27th

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Before embarking on a new season next week, this is the third and final instalment of our 2025 clip shows, featuring the best of our recent conversations over the last 12 months. From debating the anatomical accuracy of kangaroo prosthetics to Danny “Boyling” down the legendary career of the British filmmaker, we’re covering all cinematic bases.

Join us for the usual film discussion and tangents as we ponder the filmmaking “genius” of Renny Harlin and why Sylvester Stallone’s head looks like it was pasted onto a car with glue and a prayer. We also give flowers to the likes of Lori Petty, Jeff Bridges and Burt Reynolds, while wondering if Michael Ironside and Roy Scheider were the ultimate “fish guys” of the 90s.  

What to expect from the show:

• Discover why Ron Perlman was sadly passed over for the role of a mutant kangaroo.
• Hear the disturbing search for a lost, degraded silicone prosthetic from the Stann Winston estate.
• Learn how Davina McCall was nearly elevated from host of Streetmate to a Spice Girl.
• Dan defends his yearly tradition of watching Driven, despite Sarah’s best efforst to leave the room.
• We speculate whether a talking dolphin in SeaQuest DSV is actually the peak of 90s television.
• Sarah reveals her dark past as a digital deity who tortured The Sims with clown paintings and lack of sanitation.
• The American Pie franchise gets a gritty, environmental reboot involving socks and methane.
• Find out why locking the butler in the freezer in Tomb Raider 2 is a universal gaming experience.

We are back March 2nd for season 14! This time the theme is "Identity"

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We didn’t want to leave you all searching for a missing pig before the new season begins on March 2nd. Which is why we’re releasing part two of our three-part best-of 2025 clips shows. For cinephiles who love a good disaster, we’re diving back into our “Flops” season – a true comedy of errors where we learned that even Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro aren’t immune to box-office bombing.

Whether you’re a regular cinemagoer or a film observation nerd who lives for a good spreadsheet, this episode has a Thing or two for everyone. We’re dissecting the mastery of John Carpenter, the “freakiness” of Clive Barker and why Kurt Russell is correct when he states he is “tired of everyone’s shit”.

What to expect from the show:

• We discuss why John Carpenter’s The Thing is the second-best thing from 1982.
• Questioning the costumes worn by Dolph Lundgren whilst playing He-Man.
• Unpacking the scientific logic of Master of the Universe and breaking down the meaning of a “Chromon”
• Tales of creative accounting leading to the bankrupting of production companies.
• A look at the “Clive Barker freakiness” and the three different versions of Nightbreed.
• We debate if anyone in the world actually prefers Jim Davidson to a disembodied AI voice.

We are back March 2nd for season 14! This time the theme is "Identity"

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome to a very Nic Cage focused bonus episode of Shoot the Hostage. Now, look, we know you guys were expecting the grand premier of Dan’s “Identity” season today, but life has a funny way of throwing a Pig at your plans. Due to some family bereavement and health complications behind the scenes, we’ve had to push the new season back to March 2nd. We’re deeply sorry for the delay but we promise the upcoming eight-film deep dive into identity will be the best thing ever released on the internet.

To keep you lovely cinephiles and cinemagoers satiated while we regroup, we are digging into our 2025 archive of main feed episodes. Over the next 3 weeks we’re sharing some of our favourite moments from the podcast in 2025. Enjoy!

What to expect from the show:

• The terrifying image of Pauly Shore and Nicolas Cage running around Vegas in dressing gowns.
• Why the podcast was almost called “Wheezing the Juice”.
• A breakdown of why talking about Fantastic Four in a bar is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
• The logistical nightmare of turning a couch into a coffin.
• The “Beige Volvo” connecting thread that links three of the 90s’ biggest action movies.
• An unsolicited impression of Werner Herzog

We are back March 2nd for season 14! This time the theme is "Identity"

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Yes, it’s February! Yes, it’s a bit late for an end of year show! But we refuse to let the calendar dictate when our cinematic celebrations conclude. This week we’re unleashing our top 5 films of 2025 where we use a bargain bin blu ray toss to decide their ranking.

Beyond the top five, we get into the nitty-gritty of 2025 movies, asking the tough questions like: does Aaron Taylor-Johnson have a modern face or where is that Bill Murray documentary? We’re not just reading lists; we’re also dissecting tracking shots, analysing “dangerous weirdo” performances from the likes of Benicio del Toro and Amy Madigan while also praising the technical brilliance of Danny Boyle.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan makes a series of excuses for why his year doesn’t officially end until January 32nd.
• Sarah details her pilgrimage to High Wycombe for the Labyrinth Experience.
• Tales of inflatable-based cinema rejection.
• Announcing our individual top 5 movies of 2025.
• Somehow combining our list to come up with our official top 5 films of 2025.
• Honourable mentions of films that almost made the top 5.
• Movies we missed and films we still want to see.
• 2025 documentaries we watched.
• A look at 2025 Stephen King adaptations.
• Worst films of 2025.

We are back Monday 2nd March for season 14! This time the theme is "Identity"

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you're a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you'll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome to a special clip show of Shoot the Hostage, where Dan and Sarah revisit the highs, the lows, and the incredibly bleak mid-points of our true crime films season. Whether you’re a regular listener of a newbie looking for the best true crime movie podcast to binge while hiding from the “water wars,” this episode is the perfect entry point.

We’ve spent the last few months analysing flicks depicting real-life lawbreaking, covering everything from the relentless misery of Snowtown to the questionable Italian accents of House of Gucci. We’ve analysed the psychology of serial killers, discussed gender identity in film, and spent an unhealthy amount of time wondering why Jared Leto decided to play a Gucci heir like he was auditioning for Super Mario Bros.

In this episode, we look back at the stellar work of filmmakers like Patty Jenkins, Ridley Scott and Spike Lee, while giving flowers to Margot Robbie, Hilary Swank and the undisputed king of the season, Paul Walter Hauser. We also touch on Martin Scorses’s filmography, with Sarah offering the glowing endorsement that she likes “about half” of his movies. It’s a criminally packed episode featuring talk of physical media hoarding, South Korean thrillers, and why Clint Eastwood might just be a “frosty old man” making one take movies.

What to expect from the best of true crime movies episode:

• Reaching triple digits triggers a contemplation on legacy versus obsolescence.
• Streaming availability in East Asia leads to a call for virtual private network sponsors.
• Sarah explains her retirement plan involving a VHS store and hoarding water.
• Urine-processing technology becomes a central pillar of a post-society business plan.
• A deep dive into the “subtle” bookends of Ridley Scott, as explained by Dan.
• The shocking revelation that Tom Savini actually created the entire universe.
• A final reminder to rate the show five stars before the AI avatars take over the podcast

We are back on February 9th with Dan's identity season and our first episode is all about a small indie film you may not have heard of called Batman Begins. 

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We are committing to our final sentence as we deliver a verdict on our true crime films season. Before we shred the documents, please enjoy this sneak peek regarding our malfeasance-themed recap. We traversed the globe – from desert landscapes to separate nations to investigate these dark stories, making the last eight weeks feel like a life sentence.

Sarah explains how her academic path in behavioural science and shock-value tapes from her youth sparked an interest in true crime cinema. She also explains why she dragged us through the grim streets of Snowtown and the high-stakes fraud of the Wolf of Wall Street.

Whether you’re looking for true crime podcasts or just want to hear us argue about whether Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is a masterpiece or a total train wreck, this episode has you covered. We give our final verdict on the performances of Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron and even that Zac Efron Ted Bundy movie we can never quite name.

What to expect from the episode:

• The sound of the traditional can opening to begin the show which was definitely a real can.
• A breakdown of the full season lineup from Monster (2003) to the flamboyant House of Gucci.
• Sarah explains how a teenage interest in psychology led to a season full of serial killer cinema.
• Dan reflects on how analytical shields helped him endure the depressing nature of the lineup.
• A look back at our “long road” recording across different countries and how it aged us.
• The ultimate paradox: how one film can be both terrible and a favourite of the season.
• Our traditional wrap show quiz, this time, prepared by Dan.
• Details on how to access the full episode and the new season which begins February 9th.

We shall return!

February 9th sees the beginning of season 14 which Dan gets to choose this time. Be there or be square!

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 14? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

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For the epic wrap-up of our journey through true crime films, Sarah finally threw Dan a bone, or rather, “an entire skeleton” by programming The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). We’re diving into the depraved depths of films about stockbrokers to see if director Martin Scorsese created a satirical masterpiece, or just a three-hour recruitment video for “absolute wankers”

Featuring Leonardo DiCaprio’s increasingly insane performance as Jordan Belfort alongside Jonah Hill’s over the shoulder jumper wearing Donnie to Margot Robbie’s “walking red flag” energy, we’re getting under the hood on this one. We explore some of the development process of the production – including the ironic fact that Red Granite Productions was mired in its own controversy around the funding of the Wolf of Wall Street. It is a Jonah Hill we are prepared to stand on as we shout about Martin Scorsese movies, pill-induced chaos, and record-breaking vulgarity.  

What to expect from this episode:

• Sarah challenges the depiction of success, debating whether financial wealth is the only motivating factor shown.
• We examine the magical formula of Scorsese’s pacing and his long-term collaboration with editor, Thelma Schoonmaker.
• Discussion about intention and responsibility around filmmaking.
• Tallying of the 579 profanities in the Wolf of Wall Street and speculating which ones belong on the list.
• A look at the “vitamin” dust that sent a lead performer to the hospital after too much inhaling.
• Sarah shares her confusion over why men are fascinated by tattoos of lions and clocks.
• Dan reveals the theme for season 14, which begins 9th

That's a wrap on Sarah's season of true crime movies, but have no fear, for we shall returneth. Put 9th February in your calendar for the start of season 14! A brand new season with a brand new theme chosen by Dan and announced at the end of this episode. 

If you would like to find out the full lineup for the next season, sign up to Patreon as a FREE member to see the schedule when it drops, in a few weeks. If you have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023-2026.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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It’s time to cut to the chase as we dive into episode seven of Sarah’s true crime movies season! This week on Shoot the Hostage, we are venturing back into the world of Korean cinema with the 2008 breakout hit, The Chaser. Sarah is continuing her trend of making Dan watch the best serial killer movies he’s never heard of, though Dan is still recovering from his time in Morocco and feeling like a bit of a “soulless husk”.

We’re breaking down the feature film debut of Na Hong-jin (The Wailing) which stars Kim Yoon-seok as Joong-ho, an ex-cop turned pimp who is trying to find “his missing girls”. Inspired by the real-life case of the “Raincoat Killer”, we also follow the Seoul Police force as they Mr Magoo their way through the investigation while young women are preyed upon by Ji Young-min (Ha Jung-woo).

What to expect from the episode:

• Sarah explains why this film is a pivotal entry in modern Korean cinema.
• We discuss director Na Hong-jin’s knack for making incredibly dark feature films.
• A look into the grim real-life crimes of the South Korean “Raincoat killer”
• Sarah defends the character progression of the protagonist.
• We analyse the “Keystone Cops” energy of the fictionalised police force.
• Dan wonders why there weren’t more “Banderas-style” guitar-case rocket launchers.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome back to the sixth instalment of our true crime movies season, this week Sarah forces Dan to endure Ridley Scott's divisive 2021 biopic, House of Gucci, a film that Sarah has deemed “both true and a crime in many senses of the word”.

At two hours and 37 minutes, this is a girthy film that needed to be dramatically shorter, but somehow still rushes through key character developments. We unpack the strange tonal choice that borders on parody, debating whether the master filmmaker intended to lean into a theatrical comedia dell'arte style or simply didn't know what perspective he was trying to achieve.

We delve into the central performances: Lady Gaga’s committed portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani, which humanized the character even as she spirals; Adam Driver’s subtle work as Maurizio Gucci; and the bizarre prosthetics and "Super Mario Brother" accent delivered by Jared Leto, which we agree feels less like acting and more like a hate crime. Plus, we celebrate Al Pacino’s relatively subtle performance and the unexpected appearance of Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek as the psychic.

Here’s what to expect in this episode:

• We attempt to justify the film’s baffling 2 hour and 37 minute run time.
• A serious discussion about the merits of Ridley Scott as a filmmaker.
• We unpack Lady Gaga's commitment to staying in her Italian accent for nine months.
• Dan explores the subtle visual bookend using Maurizio on a bicycle at the start and end of the movie.
• We question why Jared Leto's Paolo Gucci felt like he was starring in a completely different film.
• The confusion over the film's muted and washed-out colour grading.
• Our critique on the abrupt character reversals.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

It’s time to settle in for the fifth episode of our true crime season! While Sarah is dangerously underslept and Dan is recording through a case of Moroccan flu in a noisy Casablanca hotel room, we’ve found a way to joke about the monstrously dark 2003 film, Monster. This isn’t the Gareth Edwards sci-fi flick Dan was hoping for, but a gritty look at one of the most famous American serial killers, Aileen Wuornos.

We dissect the chameleonic performance from Charlize Theron who avoided the trap of a mere impression to truly nail Wuornos’s mannerisms. Sticking with cast we discuss the rebellious era of Christina Ricci leading to her inclusion in Monster. We also look at some of the supporting cast including Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen and Scott Wilson.

Never missing an opportunity to discuss female directors, we dive into Patty Jenkins career and what we make of her trajectory from Monster to Wonder Woman. Planning every detail of her projects, Jenkins only commits to films she is truly passionate about which is showcased here in all its glory. Drawing on her own background in a military family, Jenkins infused the script with a deep understanding of PTSD, creating a sympathetic bridge between the characters of Aileen and the veteran, Thomas.

What to expect from the episode:

• Sarah discusses her intense hyperfixation on Aileen Wuornos and her favourite documentaries on the case.
• Dan argues that the film feels less like a biopic and more like a vigilante origin story, making a bizarre comparison between Aileen Wuornos and Batman.
• Comparisons of abuse and neglect to the trauma suffered by veterans.
• We dive into the psychology of female serial killers and specifically here, the systematic failures that may have led to the tragic outcome.
• We discuss the "nature versus nurture" argument and the "childlike optimism" found in the film's opening.
• Tangents and rabbit holes including trying to connect the cast to The Walking Dead and Wayne’s World.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome back to Shoot the Hostage, where Sarah and Dan continue their season dedicated to true crime films with Episode 4 of 8. This week, we take on our first Spike Lee joint in his 1999 New York based film, Summer of Sam.

This episode acts as the second movie in our "Big Apple double bill" since it’s our second film featuring the incomparable John Leguizamo (or Johnny Legs) playing an Italian man living in New York. Although in this one, he’s swapped his wrench for some scissors and leopard print underwear.

As we get into his leopard print pants and the surprising extent of his improvisations on set, we discover that although the film is set during the Summer of Sam in 1977, the film is less about the specifics of the case itself and much more about the effect on the local Bronx community.

What to Expect in this Episode:

• Differing opinions on 70s fashion, specifically the dagger collar.
• We ask whether the film's shift in focus makes it more, or less respectful to the victims' relatives.
• A look at the film's technical style, including Spike Lee’s signature double dolly shots and Scorsese-esque influences.
• How Adrien Brody’s character, Richie, embodies the fear and paranoia directed toward outsiders in the community.
• Discussion of the film’s theme of identity and the hypocrisy exposed by the neighbourhood’s judgments.
• Commentary on Vinnie’s vile nature and the hosts' "Johnny Legs bias".
• The connection between the shift from the disco to the punk era and the film's excellent music selection.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We’re back for our 3rd episode in True Crime season and this week we’re diving into the tragic reality of 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry. Discretion advised as we discuss major spoilers and triggering topics inherent in this true story of Brandon Teena, played by Hilary Swank.

Before the dread sets in, the film, directed by Kimberly Peirce, initially looks like a ‘90s hangout movie, complete with discussions of “muddin” and truck riding. We dissect how Peirce uses this lighter tone to lull you into a false sense of security before the second half of the movie. We also examine the Oscar winning performance from Hilary Swank and the disturbing portrayal from Peter Sarsgaard as real-life scumbag John Lotter. Meanwhile, Dan focuses on the actors through-line to Green Lantern.

Sarah explores how the casting of Chloë Sevigny as Lana links back to other ‘90s indie cinema thanks to Music Supervisor Randall Poster’. And yes, it’s another episode featuring Brendan Sexton the third.

What to expect from the episode:

• We discuss the surprising 90s hangout movie aesthetic of the first half.
• We analyse how director Kimberly Peirce quickly establishes Brandon’s comfort with his self-found identity.
• Dan breaks down the ominous shift in the narrative that happens halfway through the film.
• Expressions of our collective rage at the police officer who failed to protect Brandon.
• Sarah unpacks the significance of Music Supervisor Randall Poster’s involvement in many 90s independent films.
• Discussion about the nuances surrounding Brandon’s mistakes, the concept of informed consent, and the dangers of confirmation bias among netizens.
• Debate and conversation around the decision to exclude the murder of Phillip DeVine from the final cut of the film.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

We’re skating on thin ice for the second instalment in Sarah’s season dedicated to true crime movies. This time, we pivot from the bleak darkness of Snowtown to the darkly comic story of figure skater Tonya Harding in Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya.

Dan and Sarah dive into this fascinating sports movie that explores domestic abuse, poverty and media sensationalism, while somehow remaining incredibly funny – a precarious balancing act which we discuss at length.

There aren’t many films about figure skating so it’s refreshing to see this true story done justice on the big screen with a stellar cast. We examine the brilliant performances from Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Paul Walter Hauser and Allison Janney as Lavona Golden in an Oscar winning role.

This complex portrait of a complicated human being, who was routinely failed and vilified by the media, is not just about the “incident,” it’s about the people and the media circus that followed. It’s a genuinely re-watchable experience and we hope that you join us.

What to expect in this episode:

• We discuss how director Craig Gillespie managed to effectively balance the dark comedy with the serious reality of domestic abuse.
• Dan and Sarah compare the media frenzy surrounding Tonya Harding to later events like the O.J Simpson trial and the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard case, highlighting the media’s complicity in creating a circus around serious subjects.
• We praise Gillespie as a solid director with great casting choices, noting the ensemble effort.
• We explore the meta use of the contradictory interviews and the fourth wall breaks, which highlight that nobody truly knew the objective truth.
• Expressions of disappointment in the lack of a Flying V.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome back to Shoot the Hostage! Dan and Sarah return for season 13 (unlucky for some) and dive headfirst into the world of true crime with Justin Kurzel’s brutal 2011 feature debut, Snowtown.

This isn’t just one of the heaviest films in the lineup, Dan thinks it might be as bleak as he can handle. We swear, chat major spoilers and discuss highly triggering topics.

We’re tackling the film portraying the real-life “bodies in the barrels murders,” chronicling how Australia’s most notorious serial killer, John Bunting, weaponized hatred and hopelessness in Adelaide during the 1990’s. Sarah, fascinated by the psychology of these heinous acts, explores how Bunting – portrayed with chilling menace by Daniel Henshall, manages to manipulate a vulnerable family.

Dan, meanwhile, keeps thinking about Alex Kidd and Chinese meal-based memes in an effort to distract from the bleakness of this story and movie.

What to expect in this episode:

• We analyse director Justin Kurzel’s successful use of visual restraint over gratuitous violence.
• Sarah discussed why true crime content is often gendered and its connection to personal vigilance.
• We discuss the frightening charisma of the lead actor Daniel Henshall as John Bunting.
• Dan relates the film’s tense, unrelenting feeling to watching Gaspar Noè’s Climax which we covered in season 11.
• We question whether a feature or a documentary is the better medium for covering such horrific real events.
• The oppressive, claustrophobic nature of the score and setting is explored in detail.
• And Dan explains why Road Runner is the best brain bleach and how Wile E. Coyote is an inspirational figure

   

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-12 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Before we turn our thoughts to the next season, it's time for a bonus show plucked from the depths of the Patreon feed. 

To coincide with the release of Bugonia, we thought we would share our episode on Kinds of Kindness from 2024. Yorgos Lanthimos is pumping them out at the moment and we're very comfortable with that. One a year, every year we say. That is until he directs a Marvel movie.

We are back next Monday November 24th for season 13 which is all about True Crime movies.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

This episode was first published on Patreon and is an example of the extra content you can get over on our £3.00 a month tier. If you sign up for that you'll get access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month.  

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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We're back for the final level of video-game movies with our best of show where we've pieced together our favourite clips from the season. 

To recap, the season looked like this:

1. Resident Evil (2002)
2. Warcraft
3. Until Dawn
4. Borderlands
5. Tron: Legacy
6. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
7. Need for Speed
8. Mortal Kombat (1995)

Join us as we revisit some of our favourite conversations including:

• Questioning why Milla Jovovich is often seen waking up without clothes or a memory
• Who else could have played the magician in Warcraft
• The differences between the only people in Hollywood that play Monkeys
• Why is Zachary Levi
• The justice in including the Daniel Craig shower scene in Tomb Raider
• Analysis of how many whiplash claims were caused by Aaron Paul
• Revolutionary ways of using big box VHS cases to hold up shelving 

We are back on November 24th with Sarah's true crime season and our first episode is all about the Christmas holiday funtime feel-good movie Snowtown. Be sure to join us then!

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

 

After an entire season of Video Game Movies, it’s safe to assume that Sarah is ready to move on to her choice for season 13. But before we allow her to do that, we’ve got the season 12 wrap show to consider.

In the usual wrap show tradition, we speak about the low points, the high points (yes, there are some) and what it is about video game adaptations that make it so hard to make a good one. It’s basically a one-on-one therapy session to help purge the stench from our systems and cleanse our souls for the next season.

What else to expect from the episode:

• Discussion about which films in the lineup surprised us
• Other movies we watched for the season
• Mention of films that nearly made Dan’s list
• Chat about some of the lowest and highest rated video game movies
• A quiz prepared by Sarah

We shall return!

November 24th sees the beginning of season 13 which Sarah gets to choose this time. Be there or be square!

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 13? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Welcome to the final battle of Dan’s season of video game movies, where we tackle the quintessential 90s movie adaptation of Midway’s hyper-violent fighting game, Mortal Kombat (1995).

We’re closing out the season in style – or perhaps lack thereof – with the second appearance of director Paul W.S. Anderson (see our episode covering Resident Evil at the beginning of the season). Dan admits this computer game adaptation is effin stupid but still finds it fun and iconic. Meanwhile, Sarah is glad it’s over for fear of any more video game movies potentially invoking mental illness upon her.

This cheesy 90s action film was a massive box-office success, grossing over $120 million on a $20 million budget. We discuss the perplexing decision by New Line Cinema (who built their brand on Freddy Krueger!) to water down the signature violence and force a PG-13 rating, denying the R-rated fatalities the source material demands.

Dan defends Anderson’s work, noting that the director adapted his methods on set as advised by proficient martial artist and star Robin Shou (Liu Kang). We marvel at how much dedication Christopher Lambert (Raiden) had for the project and celebrate the fact that the film features some of the first major Hollywood wirework.

However, we can’t stop asking: What exactly is Goro, the animatronic monster that ate 5% of the film’s budget? We scrutinise the confusing plot, the jarring CGI and why the usually badass Sonya Blade (Bridget Wilson Sampras) gets sidelined and forced into a dress. Listen as Sarah unleashes a final FATALITY on the season’s terrible musical selections, citing the theme song as the worst soundtrack of the season–a claim Dan aggressively disputes.

What to expect from this episode:

• We explain why the movie adaptation was forced to go PG-13, despite the game’s hyper-violent reputation.
• Dan and Sarah argue over the iconic (or headache-inducing) movie soundtrack.
• We discuss the complex animatronics required to bring Goro to life, which cost $1 million and required 13-16 operators.
• Critique of the film’s messy opening, where characters like Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage are introduced haphazardly.
• Sarah shares some interesting trivia about how Kano’s character was adapted in the game’s following the release of Mortal Kombat (1995).
• We praise the decent fighting choreography, noting the early use of wirework in Hollywood inspired by Hong Kong action films.
• We discuss how Christopher Lambert’s casting as Raiden was influenced by his love for the original fighting game.
• And finally, we thank our podcast pals Chris and Joel at Just the Thing podcast for the shout-out on their Resident Evil: Afterlife episode, which is an excellent companion show for our Resident Evil episode.

Sadly, that concludes Dan's season of video-game adaptations but fear not, for we will return on November 24th for a brand new season and a brand new theme, as chosen by Sarah. Be sure to listen right to the end of this episode to find out what she has in store. 

If you would like to find out the full lineup for the next season, sign up to Patreon as a FREE member to see the schedule when it drops, in a few weeks. If you have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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After discussing Lara Croft to death last episode, this time we felt the Need for Speed as we start the engines on our episode covering this largely forgotten car movie.

We shifted gears this week to Need for Speed (2014) which is a video game adaptation focused on illegal street racing and other related and non-related crimes. We spend a chunk of time analysing some of the strange casting choices, from lead Aaron Paul failing to ignite the screen with Imogen Poots, to the baffling inclusion of a disheveled Michael Keaton playing an anonymous radio commentator. We will, inevitably, unpack the horrifying behaviour of Rami Malek’s character, Finn, and try to remember Dakota Johnson’s entirely forgettable character.

What to expect from this week's episode:

• We analyse whether Aaron Paul’s career ever truly raced past Breaking Bad.
• Sarah details her notes on the sheer number of consequential off-screen deaths and subsequent crimes the characters commit.
• We praise the commitment to practical effects and compare the action movies car chases to classics like Bullitt and Vanishing Point.
• We examine why the police were not remotely concerned about shutting down Monarch's illegal street racing operation.
• We spend a necessary amount of time questioning Benny (Kid Cudi) and his physics-defying, time-traveling plane.
• We discuss how the film could have been improved by trimming the fat (specifically two superfluous characters).
• We crown our newest winner of the Jason Statham King of Turds Award.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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Welcome back to Shoot the Hostage for the 6th level of our video game movies season! This week, Dan and Sarah step into Croft Manor, ready to spill the pixelated beans on 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Beware of potential spoilers for the film and the first two Tomb Raider games.

Directed by Simon West, we ask why this computer game adaptation failed to capture the mood of the 1996 game, having missed the memo on atmospheric puzzle solving in favour of action. We delve into the games origins and discuss the troubled production of the Tomb Raider games (the first three anyway). We critique the accents from Jolie’s suspect English cadence to Daniel Craig’s strained American attempt (whose character name had to be changed at the last minute).

What else you can expect from this episode:

• Dan notes the extreme pressure on the game’s developers and the production stories for Tomb Raiders 1-3.
• We debate the movie’s bizarre character choices and feeble attempt at female empowerment.
• In a one-time only deal, we praise Jon Voight for delivering a solid Anthony Hopkins impression.
• Dan recounts the tales of securing the butler safely in the freezer in the 2nd Tomb Raider game.
• We critique everyone’s accents in the film and wonder why every other word is “bugger”.
• The use of Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At” is cited as evidence that this film has the most 2001 soundtrack ever created.
• We express frustration over the final act and why we’ve covered another movie with an evil triangle.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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We’re back for another episode in our season of video game movies and this week we’re Grid-locked in to talk about Tron: Legacy (2010). First-time feature director Joseph Kosinski was handed a massive budget and a cult classic to make sequel to. Did he succeed? Or was it user error?

We talk about the uncanny valley of Jeff Bridges’ de-aged face and attempt to understand why Flynn went full cult leader for a thousand years in a computer. We also talk how unphased some characters are despite being magically transported in and out of computer programs willy nilly.

What to expect from this episode:

• Dan unveils his spreadsheet calculating how long Flynn has been on the Grid.
• Sarah rants about why computer programs in the Grid are forced to wear high heels.
• We give appreciation for the genre-saving Daft Punk soundtrack.
• An analysis of Joseph Kosinski’s background as an Architect and how it could have influenced the film’s design.
• Links to Tron (1982) and how Tron: Legacy pays homage.
• We discuss why the minimal, uncredited cameo from Cillian Murphy exists.
• An examination of Michael Sheen’s “maximum oversheen” performance as Castor.
• We ponder why the Tron property endures and why it wasn't end of line after Tron 82.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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Welcome back to Shoot the Hostage, it’s the 4th episode in our season exploring the world of video game movies, and this week, Dan and Sarah are vaulting their way through the absolute mess that is Eli Roth’s 2024 Borderlands adaptation! No holding back on this one.

As a fan of the Borderlands game franchise, Sarah hoped for great things from this computer game adaptation, but it left her bitterly disappointed. Dan, meanwhile, just wants a signed agreement in blood to ensure this is the last Kevin Hart movie they cover. They’ll dive into why this $115 million budget disaster only pulled in $33 million at the box-office, questioning every decision along the way, including the alleged dog-poo inspiration for Claptrap.

Join them as they dissect the wildly inappropriate PG-13 rating for an 18-certificate game, the baffling casting choices (Cate Blanchett we love you but WHY) and where this game adaptation fits into the plethora of video game movies.

What to expect from this Borderlands episode:

• Apologies for not covering the other (better) The Borderlands movie from 2013.
• Dan blames Sarah for making him watch Borderlands again.
• They ponder if the film was too expensive, even if watched for “free” on Amazon.
• Questions are asked about why this feels like an “Asylum version” of Guardians of the Galaxy.
• Sarah discusses the original Borderlands game that came out way back in 2009 and laments the films failure to capture the essence of the games.
• They question the odd casting, particularly Kevin Hart as Roland and Cate Blanchett as Lilith.
• Dan has a dream recast for the main characters.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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We’re back for the 3rd instalment of the season, diving into the often cursed realm of video game movies. This week, we’re dissecting the very recent movie adaptation of the cult classic interactive horror game, Until Dawn (2025).

Will this adaptation keep you awake Until Dawn, or will you be begging for bedtime? The film, directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle Creation, Shazam) takes a bold swing, opting for a time-loop mechanic, a decision considered a departure from the game and a choice Sarah has opinions about.

What to expect from this episode:

• Sarah’s spoiler-filled comparison of the film to the beloved Until Dawn game.
• Our thoughts on David F. Sandberg’s vision and creative flair.
• Critiques of the film’s time-loop mechanic.
• Why the characters felt as distinct as different shades of beige.
• Praise for the practical effects.
• Discussion on missed opportunities.
• A look at where Until Dawn (2025) ranks among other horror movie and computer game adaptations.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

This week on Shoot the Hostage we’re returning to the pixelated trenches of video-game movies with Warcraft (2016). Expect our usual attempt into film analysis, swearing and enough spoilers to fill a dungeon raid – so make sure you’ve seen the film before you click that listen button. We’re plunging into the world of Azeroth, scrutinising director Duncan Jones’s vision and whether this computer game adaptation managed to capture the spirit of its massive source material, or if it ended up being an orc-wad cinematic experience.

Join us as we explore the film’s cast, from Travis Fimmel’s Lothar to Paula Patton’s Garona, and the king himself, Dominic Cooper. We’ll also dive into the surprisingly stellar CGI for the Orcs (shout out Tobey Kebbell’s incredible mocap performance as Durotan!) contrasting with some of the physical sets, props and costumes.

Here’s what to expect from this week’s expedition:

• We’ll dissect Duncan Jones’s direction and his legacy after Moon and Source Code.
• Dan will most likely bemoan the fantasy elements, possibly making a prerequisite joke about punching horses (which you should never do!)
• Sarah will share her perspective as a World of Warcraft player, but not the games this film is based on.
• Opinions on the seemingly split fan and critical reception.
• We’ll question if the films $160 million budget was truly visible on screen, especially concerning costumes.
• We’ll dive into the character portrayals by Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, and even the wasted talents of Ruth Negga.
• Debate on whether the film’s “information overload” is too obtuse for newcomers.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

Get ready to reside in pure evil as Dan and Sarah kick off Season 12 of Shoot the Hostage with a deep dive into the 2002 action horror film, Resident Evil! After our last season got us all hooked on movies about drugs, we're booting up a brand new theme: video game movies! And who better to start with than the master of computer game adaptations, director Paul W.S. Anderson?

Join us as we explore the cult classic that spawned a franchise (and a very specific type of career for its director). We're talking Milla Jovovich's transformation into an action icon, her real-life romance with Anderson, and the shocking revelation that her role as Alice was nearly a damsel in distress! We also discuss the memorable contributions of Michelle Rodriguez as Rain, and the unforgettable, meat-cubed moment starring Colin Salmon.

Brace yourselves for our unfiltered thoughts on the film's dated CGI, its "edgy" Marilyn Manson-infused soundtrack, and the curious case of the always-convenient amnesia trope. We unpack why George A. Romero's original script was deemed too violent, and how the movie makes some surprising Alice in Wonderland connections. Is it a faithful movie adaptation? Is it even a good film? And is it truly a zombie movie, or just a reanimated corpse of a good idea?

Here's what to expect from this Resident Evil deep dive:

• How Resident Evil (2002) kicks off our new season of video game movie adaptations
• Dan's long history with PlayStation and Sarah's gaming preferences
• The career of director Paul W.S. Anderson and his frequent collaborator Milla Jovovich
• Why George A. Romero's original Resident Evil script was deemed "too violent" for Hollywood
• Our thoughts on the infamous laser hallway scene and Colin Salmon's cubed fate.
• Why the film's "edgy" soundtrack, co-composed by Marilyn Manson, might give you a headache.
• A debate on if Resident Evil truly counts as a zombie movie and where it ranks amongst them.
• Insights into why computer game adaptations are notoriously difficult to get right, and how this film stacks up.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

If you do have some loose change consider signing up as a paid member. Our £3 a month Patreon tier will grant you access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month. Plus the back-catalogue of reviews from 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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We are one week away from the new season but before we charge up the controllers and order a six-pack of energy drinks in preparation for Video Game Movies season, it's time for our traditional bonus review of a new movie. We settled in to watch Ari Aster's latest weirdo beardo offering, Eddington.

No spoilers! 

We are back next Monday September 8th for season 12 which is all about Video Game movies.

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.

This episode was first published on Patreon and is an example of the extra content you can get over on our £3.00 a month tier. If you sign up for that you'll get access to all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-11 and a minimum of 2 reviews of brand new movies each month.  

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

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After eight weeks of cinematic exploration into the world of "drugs movies" for Season 11, Dan and Sarah are back to share some of our favourite moments from the season!

Sarah's season of drugs films has certainly been a 'journey', and not always the warm, fuzzy, hot chocolate kind. From the 'quintessential drugs movie' vibes of Trainspotting and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the notoriously bleak Requiem for a Dream, to the time-bending drug trips of Synchronic and the chaotic highs of Pineapple Express, this season has had it all. And yes, we've even managed to shoehorn in a few tangents about the American Pie franchise, Herbie, and why we'd rather live in the American Sock timeline.

So, what can you expect from the "best of drugs movies" season, you ask? Well, apart from us probably weeping under the stairs, you'll get:

• Deep dives into drug-themed cinema, from the "most paranoid movie known to man" to films that make you question reality and the human condition.
• Behind-the-scenes insights including how David Bowie helped secure Trainspotting's iconic soundtrack and why Danny Boyle turned down a knighthood.
• Explorations of directors' filmographies, including the unique approaches of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and the distinctive, often challenging, style of Gaspar Noé.
• Chaotic discussion, pop culture detours (like debating sexy presidents), and strong opinions on everything from Love Actually to whether Rosie Perez needed to be so 'menacing' in Pineapple Express.

Make sure to mark September 8th in your calendar as that is when we return for season 12!

Would you like to see the full lineup for season 12? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don't need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops.

Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy.

If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.  

Or come find us on social media:

Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube